Shuttle check for looms



April' 21, 1931. DAVIS 1,801,542

SHUTTLE cmaqx FOR LOOMS Filed April 1'7, 1930 Fig.1.

lnvenTor. Harry A. Dav] s Aifys.

Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STATES HARRY A. DAVIS, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPORA- PATENT OFFICE.

TION, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE SHUTTLE CHECK FOR LOOMS Application filed April 17, 1930. Serial No. 445,160.

This invention relates to a device employed in looms for checking the movement of the picker stick, and consequently of the shuttle, when the shuttle is boxed, and also for checking the movement of the picker stick at the conclusion of its picking movement, and to that type of such device employing an endless, flexible check strap within which the picker stick oscillates and which is moved by the picker stick at each end of each oscillation.

The object of the invention is to provide novel means for effecting a rotative creep of the check strap always in the some circumferential direction upon each movement imported to it by the picker stick at the end of each oscillation.

The object of the invention is further to provide a novel relation between the path of movement of the check strap through the supporting guides and the path of movement of the picker stick which will assist in effecting the said rotative creep of the check strap.

The object of the invention is further to provide novel features in the construction, position, relation, and adjustment of the supporting guides for the check strap which shall enable complete control to be had of the retarding effect of the check strap and the rotative creep of the check strap.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

7 Since the present invention is concerned entirely with the means for checking the movement of the picker stick and thereby of the shuttle, since the broad type of checking means is old, and since this mechanism is applicable to a wide range of loom constructions well known and familiar to those skilled in the art, it is only necessary here to illustrate and describe so much of an ordinary type of loom as is necessary to a disclosure of a preferred form of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 isa front elevation of the end portion of a lay, the upper portion of a picker stick, and a preferred form of the present invention associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

The lay 1 is vertically slotted at 2 and through the slot extends the picker stick 3, which is oscillated by the usual means and at its upper end engages the shuttle, not shown, to pick the shuttle across the lay when oscillated to the right and to be oscillated to the left by the shuttle upon its return movement. A similar but reversed construction in all respects is applied to the opposite side of the loom.

The present invention has to do with the checking of the oscillatory movement of the picker stick at both ends of its oscillation. At the side of the loom illustrated, the picker stick, when oscillated to the left by the shuttle, must be checked in order to check and stop the flight of the shuttle and, when the picker stick is oscillated to the right to pick the shuttle across the loom, the picker stick must be checked at the end of its oscillation and after the shuttle has left it on its flight. For this purpose, the present invention makes use of an endless, flexible check-strap 4 which may be made of leather or other suitable material. This check strap is supported by guides from the lay. At each end of its oscillation, the picker stick which oscillates within the strap engages one looped end of the strap and is checked thereby, This checking movement must not be too abrupt and must be more or less gradual. Furthermore, such a check strap is subject to great wear under the hard conditions of usage and one of the primary objects of the present invention is to distribute this wear evenly throughout the entire periphery of the check strap and thus to prolong to a maximum the life and usefulness of the strap.

In the preferred construction illustrated, there are two sets of supporting guides for the check strap, one set being located at either side of the path of movement of the picker stick. These guides are shown as vertically disposed arms 5, 6 and 7 at the engaged by rear and 8, 9, and 10 at the front. At the lower ends some of these guides such as 5, 7, 8 and 10 are provided with laterally projecting feet 11 to support the strap vertically against downward movement. The number and arrangement of these check strap supporting guides may be varied and they may be secured and mounted in position by various suitable means provided they involved the features of the invention hereinafter claimed and by means of which the desired results are secured.

One feature of the intention consists in so constructing the supporting guides at the 0 posite sides of the path of movement of tge picker stick that they are caused to exert a greater slip-permitting frictional drag on the strap in one circumferential direction than in the other. Thus a rotative creep of the strap is effected always in the same direction when the strap is engaged and moved the picker stick. In the construction illustrated, the strap creeps in the direction of the arrows 12 so that the slip-permitting frictional drag of the guides on the strap is greater in the direction opposite to the arrows 12. The drug is secured in the spe ciflo case illustrated by the formation of the edges of the guides which are adjacent the strap. It will be observed, viewing Fig. 2, that the left-hand edges 15 of the guides 5, 6, and 7 and the righthand edges H of. the

ides 8, 9, and 10 are rounded and that 1: ese edges face the direction of rotativc creep or ace the direction of the arrows 12. It will also be observed that the opposite edges of these guides adjacent the strap are angular. Consequently, when the strap is the picker stick'at either end of its oscillation, the movement imparted to the strap by the picker stick causes the strap to have a rotative creep and always in the direction of the arrows 12 because the rounded edges of the guides oppose less resistance to the movement of the strap than the angular edges.

Another feature of the invention resides in the relation of the path of movement of the Strap throu h the two sets of guides with respect to the path of movement of the picker stick. The center line of the path of movement of the picker stick is indicated at 15. It will be seen that the general path of movement of the strap through the guides 5, 6, and 7 is parallel to the line 16 and consequently that if the line of the path of movement of these guides be prolonged in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap, it will necessarily intersect with the line of the ath of movement of the picker stick. So also at the other side the general line of the path of movement of the strap through the guides 8, 9 and 10 also parallel to the line 16 and consequently, if this line of the path of movement be prolonged in the direction of rot-ative creep of the strap, it would also intersect the line of the path of movement of the picker stick. Consequently the picker stick at either end of its oscillation engages the strap much nearer to the line of direct pull through that setof guides from which the rotative creep of the strap is proceeding. Consequently this relation tends to accentuate the rotative creep of the strap.

Another feature of the invention resides in the bodily position of the two sets of guides. It will he observed that one set, for example, 5, 6, and 7 at the rear, offset with respect to the set of guides at the front and that this offset of the one set of guides with respect to the other is in the direction of the desired rotative creep of the strap. That is, in the form illustrated, the guides at the rear are offset to the right of the guides at the front, or in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap. This po sition of the guides further accentuates the direction of rotative creep.

A further feature of the invention, which, in combination with one or more of the other features, assists in the control of the movement of the strap, resides in mounting an intermediate guide of one of the sets of guides so that it will yieldingly press against the strap and thus act to adjust or vary the sinuosity of the path of the strap through this set of guides. Preferably also an. intermediate guide of the other set is made positively adj ustahle for the same purpose. These intermediate guides may he arranged in any way desired, but are conveniently here shown as arranged with the yielding presser guide at the front and the adjustably fixed intermediate presser guide at the rear.

In the specific construction illustrated, the guides 5 and 7 at the rear depend from, and are integral with, a casting 17 bolted at 18 to the rear of the lay. This casting is provided with a rearwardly extending slotted flange .19 and the guide 6 is adjustnbly sccured in )laceby a bolt 20 extendin up through the slot. The guides 8 and O at the front are similarly formed on a casting 21 secured by a bolt 22 to the front of the lay. The yieldingly movable presser guide is here shown as the intermediate guide 9 of the front set. This guide is formed at the end of a horizontal arm 23 journalled on 1 vertical stud 24 depending from the lateral arm 25' of the casting 21. A coiled spring 26 engaging at one end the arm 23 is secured at the other end to a rotarily adjustable collar 27 on the stud 24 and arm 25 and acts with the desired yielding and adjustable pressure to force the guide 9 against the strap between the guides 8 and. 10 and thus adjust or vary the sinuosity of the strap passing through this set of guides. A stop pin 28 threaded into the arm 23 engages a lug 29 depending from the arm 25 to limit the inward movement of the guide 9.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a very efiicient means for controlling the movement of the check strap and for insuring a constant, even, rotative creep of the check strap always in the same direction through the guides. This insures that all wear taking place shall be distributed uniformly throughout the entire length of the check strap. Thus not only is the wear of the check strap reduced to a minimum, but uniformity of retarding action is constantly maintained.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. A shuttle check for aloom comprising an endless, flexible check strap within which the picker stick oscillates and which is moved by the picker stick at each end of each oscillation, and guides supporting the strap at opposite sides of the path of movement of the picker stick and at each side of the path exerting a greater slip-permitting frictional drag on the strap in one circumferential direction than in the other, the path of movement of the strap through the guides at either side when prolonged in the direction of the readier movement of the strap therethrough intersecting the line of the path of movement of the picker stick whereby the movement imparted to the strap upon each engagement of the picker stick therewith effects arotative creep of the strap always in the same circumferential direction.

2. A shuttle check for a loom comprising an endless, flexible check strap within which the picker stick oscillates and which is moved by the picker stick at each end of each oscillation, a plurality of staggered guides supporting the strap at opposite sides of the path of movement of the picker stick having their edges adjacent the strap facing in one circumferential direction rounded and their edges adjacent the strap facing in the opposite direction angular whereby the movement imparted to the strap upon each engagement of the picker stick therewith effects a rotative creep of the strap always in the same circumferential direction.

8. A shuttle check for a loom comprising the construction defined in claim 2, in which the path of movement of the strap through the guides at either side when prolonged in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap therethrough intersects the line of the path of movement of the picker stick thus further to assist in said rotative creep.

4. A shuttle check for a loom comprising the construction defined in claim 2, in which the path of movement of the strap through the guides at either side when prolonged in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap therethrough intersects the line ofv the path of movement of the picker stick thus further to assist in said rotative creep, and means for yieldingly pressing an intermediate guide of one set of the said guides against the strap to adjust the sinuosity of thedpath of the strap through said set of gm es. 7

5. A shuttle check for a loom comprising an endless, flexible check strap within which the picker stick oscillates and which is moved by the picker stick at each end of each oscillation, a set of staggered guides supporting the strap at each of the opposite sides of the path of movement of the picker stick and exerting a greater slip-permitting frictional drag on the strap in one circumferential direction than in the other, the path of movement of the strap through the guides at either side when prolonged in the direction of the readier movement of the strap therethrough intersecting the line of the path of movement of the picker stick whereby the movement imparted to the strap upon each engagement of the picker stick therewith effects a rotative creep of the strap always in the same circumferential direction, and means for yieldingly pressing an intermediate guide of one set of the said guides against the strap to adjust the sinuosity of the path of the strap through said set of guides.

6. A shuttle check for a loom comprising the construction defined in claim 1, in which the guides at one side of the path of movement of the picker stick are ofiset with respect to the guides at the opposite side in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap.

7 A shuttle check for a loom comprising an endless flexible check strap within which the picker stick oscillates and which is moved by the picker stick at each end of each oscillation, and guides supporting the strap at opposite sides of the path of movement of the picker stick and at each side of said path exerting a greater slip-permitting frictional drag on the strap in one circumferential direction than in the other, and in which the guides at one side of the path of movement of the picker stick are offset with respect to the guides at the opposite the rotative creep strap at opposite sides of the path of movement of the picker stick and at each side of said path exerting a greater slip-permitting frictional drag on the strap in one circumferential direction than in the other, and means for yieldingly pressing an intermeditto guide of one set of the said guides against the strap to adjust the sinuosity of the path of the strap through said set of guides.

9. A shuttle check for a loom comprising the construction defined in claim 2, in which the path of movement of the strap through the ides at either side when prolonged in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap therethrough intersects the line of the ath of movement of the picker stick thus further to assist in said rotative creep, and in which the two sets of guides are offset with respect to each other in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap.

10. A shuttle check for a loom comprising the construction defined in claim 2, in which the path of movement of the strap through the guides at either side when prolonged in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap therethrough intersects the line of the th of movement of the picker stick thus rther to assist in said rotative creep, and in which the two sets of guides are offset with respect to each other in the direction of the rotative creep of the strap and means for yieldingly pressing an intermediate guide of one set of the said guides against the strap to adjust the sinuosity of the path of the strap through said set of guides.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY A. DAVIS. 

